His
first step into Hueco Mundo was nothing if not slightly nostalgic. If
by nostalgic he meant a reminder of all the blood he had spilled and
the pain he had suffered in his successful attempt to save Inoue. His
friend, abandoned by Soul Society even then and now marked for death.
It was only one of the reasons Ichigo was back in this place,
wondering if Aizen had bothered to move Las Noches or if he could
rely on his uncertain memory to find the fortress again. It wasn't as
if there were a lot of landmarks to go by either. Just sand, sand, a
tree, and sand.

The
substitute Shinigami paused, one hand on the hilt of his zanpakutou
as he scanned the immense, blank landscape for signs of Arrancar.
They were usually pretty perceptive to the appearance of intruders,
and he expected to be accosted at any moment. He didn't plan on
killing any of them, but he wasn't about to let them tear him to
pieces either. He had the feeling simply waving a white flag of truce
wouldn't work, considering how many of their brethren had fallen by
his hand alone.

No,
Ichigo had to speak to Aizen personally.

He
walked for a few minutes, cursing under his breath at the annoying
feeling of the sand beneath his feet, the tiny grains somehow
managing to find their way into his socks. He hated the sensation of
the grit between his toes. It seemed a trivial thing to bitch about
at the moment, but for the sake of his sanity, he had to concentrate
on the little things.

The
slight tremble through the ground was all the warning he received
before sand exploded in front of him, bodies forming beneath the
spray of dirt and grit. Ichigo's fingers tightened on the hilt of
Zangetsu, but he didn't draw, preferring to wait for their first
move. And he found himself staring into the eyes of two huge
Arrancar, easily the size of the one Chad had defeated way back then.

Ichigo
crouched, ready to draw at a moment's notice as the cloud of dust
slowly settled around them. They were only staring, not making a move
to attack or even speak. He was reminded in that moment of what had
happened the last time he had been here. When he had run directly
into Aizen Sousuke and the man had simply let him go, though not
without a parting word.

"I
will be here," Aizen had said ambiguously, not clarifying before he
seemed to shimmer and disappear.

At
the time, Ichigo hadn't bothered to figure it out, too preoccupied
with escaping with his life and the lives of his friends. But now, he
thought about it because, for all intents and purposes, the Arrancar
should not have just been staring at him. So he watched them
carefully, internally debating on whether he should simply ignore
them and keep going or wait even longer.

A
wind stirred, bringing with it a flash of sand that brushed across
his hakama. The half-dead trees swayed in the breeze, branches
creaking. And still the Arrancar stared.

Ichigo
decided to take a risk.

He
took a step towards them, uncertain about what it was he actually
planned to do. Instead of attacking, however, the Arrancar simply
stepped aside, parting for him. They half-turned, facing a certain
direction, and left a wide path between them. It was an obvious
signal for him to accept their guidance.

Ichigo
began to walk forward, his eyes locked warily on the two. They
flanked him, standing easily within his view and not directly behind
him. The pair remained silent, effortlessly guiding him across the
sand. But it was kind of creepy, their quiet, and Ichigo didn't allow
himself to relax. He wasn't taking any chances.

In
the distance, he could make out the spires of Las Noches, rising over
the white sands like some Arabian castle, domineering Hueco Mundo. It
never ceased to amaze him how large the compound actually was.

It
reminded him of the first time he had come to here. They had run for
what seemed like hours, but the fortress had always seemed so far
away. And when they had finally made it to Las Noches, he and his
friends had split up, promptly encountering the Espada and doing well
to get their asses fully ground into the dirt. Well, everyone save
himself of course. Ichigo had been the only one who had been capable
of walking away in the end.

It
was strange, however, to see the child-like Arrancar who had attached
herself to him suddenly transform into a grown woman and obliterate
the fifth Espada before abruptly becoming a toddler once more. At the
time, he hadn't been able to fully appreciate it, barely conscious
after such a sound beating and recently defeating Grimmjow.
Afterwards, Orihime had healed both he and Nel, and Ichigo had been
uncertain what to do with the defeated sixth Espada.

In
the end, unable to justify simply leaving him to die, he had asked
Orihime to heal Grimmjow enough that he would live but wouldn't
regain consciousness. Halibel had chosen that moment to appear,
flitting down to inform him that they had the others in custody. It
had been ironic; the moment Orihime was saved, he had to turn around
and retrieve her rescuers. Halibel had vanished after that, and with
half-dead Grimmjow on his back and one classmate and a toddler at his
side, Ichigo had invaded deeper into Las Noches, miraculously not
encountering any other Espada.

It
was in that moment he first began to think that perhaps it hadn't
been about Orihime or her powers after all.

It
had been strangely easy to find his friends, especially considering
all the trouble they had encountered before. All of them had been
kept in a rather large room in various states of health and
awareness, Renji and Rukia the only ones actually unconscious. Chad
and Ishida had been perfectly capable of walking out, though they
were in no condition to fight. Ichigo had dumped Grimmjow inside
before gathering up his injured and barely alive friends and making a
run for it in the vague direction of what he had believed to be the
exit.

They
would have made it without distraction were it not for the fact that
Ulquiorra chose to appear right in front of the door. Foisting an
unconscious Rukia off on Ishida, Ichigo had drawn Zangetsu,
determined to buy them all time to escape. Nel had refused to leave
his side though, clinging to his hakama and staring strangely at the
fourth Espada.

Despite
everything, however, Ulquiorra never made moves towards them. He had
just studied Ichigo with that impassive, empty gaze, while his
friends vanished into the distance and hopefully to safety. Ichigo's
grip on Zangetsu had been on the verge of growing sweaty before there
was any sort of movement from the fourth Espada. Strangely enough, it
had only been to step aside, blending into the shadows.

That
was when Aizen had appeared.

Ichigo
had known then that the traitor had fully meant for them to escape,
especially after his enigmatic words and prompt vanishing act. The
only question that had remained was why.

Ichigo
had the feeling he was about to find out.

A
ridiculously short walk later, far shorter than he expected it to be,
Ichigo found himself standing outside the massive gates of Las
Noches, where none other than Ichimaru Gin was standing… as if
waiting for him. The man had the same grin on his face as always, and
he didn't seem at all surprised to find Ichigo before him. His
Arrancar escorts vanished then, leaving him alone with the
silver-haired man.

"Ichimaru."

"Ichigo-kun,"
the former captain greeted with a wave of his hand. "Hiya."

The
substitute Shinigami frowned in confusion. "You knew I was coming?"
he asked, still poised to defend himself at a moment's notice.

But
Ichimaru's grin only remained the same. "You'll have ta ask
Aizen-taichou 'bout that." He gestured inwards to Las Noches.
"Follow me."

Ichigo
watched him warily for a moment before deciding to follow, stepping
past the gates and into the main hall. It was certainly easier to
find his way when he seemed to be a guest and not an uninvited
intruder.

And
this time, he actually could look at his surroundings rather than
race madly through them. Not that there was much to see. Just a lot
of white. Everywhere he looked, almost like Aizen were intentionally
trying to prove he was the antithesis of the Shinigami. Or maybe he
just hadn't had a time to decorate. Ichigo wasn't about to ask.

He
snuck a glance at his escort. "You still call him that?"

Ichimaru
looked at him from the corner of his eye, a small slit of crimson
gleaming through. "That's who he is," he replied, his smirk
widening. "He'll always be my captain."

Ichigo
wasn't quite sure what to think about that. He groped his mind for
something else to say, a part of him irrationally curious.

"So
how've ya been Ichigo-kun?" Ichimaru put in before the boy could
say anything else. "Been awhile since I saw ya last. Ya were kinda
outta it at the time."

Ichigo
couldn't help himself; he snorted. "Yeah, I was half-dead."

The
former Shinigami tilted his head to the side. "Ya were also
half-alive."

He
had a point. Ichigo couldn't argue that. Aizen must have been
practicing his mercy that day because there was no way he and Renji
should have survived those attacks. In fact, Aizen must have held
back against everyone. It made Ichigo wonder if he had truly intended
for Rukia to be killed after all.

Ichigo
furrowed his brow, his gaze sliding to the constantly grinning man.
He opened his mouth to question Ichimaru about what he meant when
suddenly the traitorous captain stopped in front of a door.

"Here
we are!" Ichimaru stated grandly, pushing open the door and
gesturing for Ichigo to precede him.

The
substitute Shinigami, thoroughly thwarted from his question, followed
Ichimaru's lead. The moment he stepped into the conference room, he
felt several sets of eyes fall on him, finding himself standing at
the end of a long, rectangular table. All of the Espada were seated
stoically. Aizen himself was at the head with that blind-dude
standing just behind him at his left. The chair to Aizen's right was
empty, which he assumed to belong to Ichimaru, but he didn't know why
the one at his left was as well. Strangely, Ichimaru didn't take his
seat, instead quietly remaining just behind Ichigo.

The
substitute Shinigami took the opportunity to count Espada as they sat
in a vague mirror of the captains of Seireitei. Ulquiorra was
watching him with that same empty, impassive gaze, while he couldn't
identify the expression on Grimmjow's face. As for the others...
well, the ninth was suitably missing, and number five was--

"Nel!?!"
Ichigo exclaimed in surprise, eyes widening.

"Itsygo!"
Nel chirped. She waved wildly and beamed at him, looking as if she
was going to launch herself across the table at him, but before she
could, a sleepy-eyed Espada calmly put a hand on her head and held
her down. She wiggled under the pressure, but the grin never faded,
looking much like a puppy whose master had just come home.

Ichigo
blinked. "Uhh, hi, Nel," he responded, completely flabbergasted.
Seeing the child-like Arrancar was the last thing he had suspected.

"Kurosaki
Ichigo. Welcome."

Aizen's
voice dragged him back to reality, and Ichigo lifted his eyes to the
former captain, finding that the man was giving him a faintly bemused
look from where he sat proudly at the head of the table, looking very
much the ruler of his world.

"It
is a pleasure to see you again."

Ichigo
paused at the unexpectedly happy greeting. "Honestly, I didn't
expect I'd ever be back here," he responded in earnest.

"Oh?"
Aizen lifted a brow, leaning forward and propping his chin on his
palm as his smile widened. He continued to study his guest with
interest.

"I'm
surprised you don't already know," Ichigo admitted, a bit flustered
by his current situation. Surrounded by what was supposed to be his
greatest enemies, he almost felt like he was being categorized and
judged. "Why I'm here, I mean."

"I
would prefer to hear it from you."

Whether
or not Aizen was telling the truth, Ichigo couldn't be certain,
though he didn't think the man would lie to him. Still, he felt
uncomfortable. The Espada were still staring at him calculatingly,
though the one that had restrained Nel seemed to be asleep now.
Ulquiorra appeared to be evaluating Ichigo, deciding whether or not
he was worthy to even be in the same room as Aizen-sama.

It
was unsettling.

"What
are your plans?" Ichigo asked instead of explaining, dragging his
wandering gaze back to Aizen. "What are you going to do if you
defeat them?"

"Not
if, but when," the blind-guy inserted testily, sounding personally
offended by Ichigo's statement. And perhaps he was; the boy couldn't
be certain of anything right now.

Ichigo
glanced only briefly at the dark-skinned male before returning to
Aizen, whose answer was the only one he really cared about.

"In
truth?" Aizen mused aloud with some amusement, rubbing his chin. "A
proper explanation would likely take days. However, to put it simply,
I wish to remake Soul Society, Seireitei especially. After all, it
has the bad habit of containing or destroying anything it doesn't
understand." He paused, his eyes locking onto Ichigo. "The
Shinigami have long ago lost sight of what they are truly meant to
be. There must be someone to curb their actions."

His
words struck a chord of truth inside of Ichigo. It was like the other
man had known exactly why he had come, what exactly he needed to
hear. And maybe he did; there were so many things that Ichigo just
couldn't be certain of. In any case, Ichigo knew that Aizen was right.
There was something wrong in Soul Society, something that had grown
poisoned and rotten with time, and someone needed to fix it.

He
didn't know if Aizen's plan of attack was right, or his methods, but
it was better than doing what everyone else had for so many
centuries. Absolutely nothing.

It
was far better than letting Soul Society use him for their own
purposes, only to discard him and all those who mattered to him. As
if they were nothing more than garbage in the end.

"I
take it that you are not entirely satisfied with Soul Society?"
Aizen asked, his voice cutting through Ichigo's thoughts.

The
substitute Shinigami bit his lip. "That'd be putting it lightly."

Aizen's
face shifted in thought, the bemusement lost in the wake of something
that might have been anger, but Ichigo wasn't certain. He just knew
it was not directed towards himself. Even the blind-guy had made a
disgusted face, and Ichigo assumed that Ichimaru had as well, though
he couldn't exactly see out the back of his head.

He
waited for Aizen's response and was mildly surprise when brown eyes
shifted beyond him, directing his gaze on the Espada. "Return to
your duties," Aizen ordered crisply, also rising to his feet.
"Kurosaki-kun, would you walk with me?"

Watching
the Espada push back their chairs and walk past him, Ichigo simply
nodded. He moved to Aizen's side as the older man headed out of the
room towards a different door than the others were using. Tousen
remained behind, and Gin was smiling as he headed over to Nel,
amazingly enough.

In
the empty silence of the hall, a moment passed. Ichigo glanced at
Aizen and was strangely reminded of Urahara... or possibly even his
father when Isshin was having a particularly serious moment.

Suddenly,
it didn't seem all that difficult for the words to come. Ichigo found
himself telling Aizen what he had learned. About Orihime and
Hitsugaya, about Soul Society's plans for him and his family, and
about his decision to leave. It spilled out of him in a garbled mess
that the former captain somehow managed to understand anyway.

When
it was all said and done, he was astonished to find a strange fire
flare up in Aizen's eyes for all of a brief instant before it was
hidden by the his normal calm. It was almost... protective, indignant
on Ichigo's behalf.

"This
is not be the first time they have chosen so foolishly," the man
commented, his tone faintly loathing. "Soul Society fears you,
Kurosaki-kun, and for them, that is reason enough."

Aizen
was absolutely right.

Which
was exactly why Ichigo was going to join him.

"And
this is reason enough for me, too," Ichigo responded, knowing that
Aizen would understand exactly what he meant.

That
look of faint bemusement returned, and Aizen leaned towards him.

"Welcome
to the family, Kurosaki-kun."

-----

a/n: Well? Still believable so far? I might continue the series, I might not. It depends on inspiration. Regardless, this is a one-shot. If I do continue the series, it will be in a separate piece.